Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “chopping” come from?

Chopping derives from the English verb chop, which comes from Middle English choppen, ultimately traceable through Old English and Proto-Germanic to Latin caupo, meaning an innkeeper or merchant.

chopping (English): present participle of chop; The action by which...

Definitions

  1. present participle of chop; The action by which...

Ancestry of “chopping”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishchopA cut of meat, often containing a section of a...
2UkrainianЧо́п—
3Hungariancsaptap, faucet; spigot, pivot, peg, pin; cone
4GermanZapfengerund of zapfen; plug, bung, pin, tap, spigot;...
5Middle High Germanzapfen—
6Old High Germanzapfo—
7Frankishtappō—
8Proto-Germanictappôplug; tap
9Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₂p-to sacrifice; to lose
10Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₂-to share, divide
Every word from Proto-Indo-European deh₂- →